Lil Wayne Dubbed The "Rap Ambassador" Of New Orleans By NOLA Congressman

Lil Wayne's long-standing legal battle with Birdman and Cash Money ended this summer which meant that fans would soon eat. Lil Wayne's been teasing the project's release over the past few weeks, but many were still convinced that it might not come out for a while. Thankfully, the album dropped at the wee hours of the morning. Not only are hip-hop heads ecstatic about its release, but it looks like Tha Carter V might be on some politicians weekend playlists as well.

TMZ recently caught up with NOLA congressman, Rep. Cedric Richmond, who praised Lil Wayne, not only for his music but for being a music ambassador for New Orleans. Richmond said that Wayne's held in the same regards as Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino and Aaron Neville in New Orleans for his contributions in hip-hop.

"[Lil Wayne] is one of our music ambassadors when it comes to rap," Richmond said outside of Capitol Hill. "When it comes to jazz, we have Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Aaron Neville. We have a bunch of ambassadors, but rap music? Lil Wayne's one of the best lyricists of all time."

When asked if Wayne is at the same level as the three legendary jazz musicians mentioned, Richmond simply replies, "Absolutely."

While Richmond wouldn't dub Wayne an "unofficial mayor of New Orleans," he does praise Weezy and the Cash Money team for giving back to their community.